


The Major's Mate

by aForgottenWeasley



Series: Blurred Lines [23]
Category: The Originals (TV), Twilight (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Lets Just Pretend Celeste Was Another Doppelgänger, Mates, Nina Dobrev as Celeste
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 13:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19854184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aForgottenWeasley/pseuds/aForgottenWeasley
Summary: #65 "Don't die on me. Please."New to Forks, Celeste quickly finds out she's not the only vampire in town. The Cold Ones don't know what to think of her, but they find her in their home more often than not and that her species of vampire is a lot more vulnerable than their own.





	The Major's Mate

**Author's Note:**

> Damn. This was the longest one-off I've ever written!

Forks, Washington was the most dreariest of places Celeste has moved to, but it was also the one that she fell in love with and could see herself settling down in for quite some time. It was constantly cold and wet, and on the off chance that the sun came out it was never too hot. But since she was a vampire, the weather hardly fazed her.

She had bought herself a decent home and enrolled herself as a Junior in high school. She compelled the local authorities and other people in positions of power to not question the lack of parental figures in her life, and put the idea in their heads that she was an emancipated young lady getting a monthly stipend from a wealthy Uncle that was constantly travelling. And since she had transferred midweek, she gave herself a long weekend before throwing herself back into the cesspool of teenage drama and hormones for the umpteenth time.

So pulling up in a brand new white jeep wrangler with a black roof and black rims, Celeste is not so surprised when every student in the parking lot stares. Nearly every vehicle in the student parking lot are either old or dulling in color, so of course the new student and shiny car would draw attention.

Celeste then parks and cuts the engine. She grabs her backpack from the passenger seat and stows her keys in one of the zippered pockets before stepping out of her vehicle. She shoulders the strap of her bag, flipping her hair over her shoulder and practically saunters towards the main building. She can feel every gaze on her and she doesn't bother hiding her smile.

Classes are dull, she knowing the material like the back of her hand. The student population are nosy, some of the braver ones introducing themselves and asking about her life, while others watched from afar and whispered their curiosity. But she's not the only one they're curious about. They also curious about a family of adopted children that they've been going to school with the past year- the Cullen's. And when Celeste gets curious enough to finally check the family out for herself, she realizes why.

The Cullen's are not normal. Their pale skin wouldn't have tipped her off before, but since her own vision is enhanced she can see what the others don't. They're absolutely flawless, with the exception of Jasper Hale, but his scars only add to his beauty. And it's their eyes that are the big tip off anyway. No one has yellow/gold eyes. No one, unless they were a werewolf, but the Cullen's don't smell of the canine variety. They don't eat, they keep only to themselves, and they talk way too low and way too fast to be anything but normal. But since Celeste is not normal herself, she doesn't care what secrets they're hiding so long as they don't jeopardize her place in Forks.

Sometimes, when she's talking to the other students and mentally threatening them when they get on her nerves, she has a feeling Edward Cullen knows exactly what she's thinking. He'll stare at her in mild horror or his lips will twitch in amusement. But after the first few weeks, the Cullen's are put to the back of her mind as she continues on playing human.

* * *

"So who do you think is the hottest Cullen?" Jessica muses one day at lunch. Celeste quietly groans, sipping on her Coke and for once wishing for the company of Tyler or Mike so she didn't have to sit through the torture they dubbed girl talk. "Or Hale."

"Jesus. What is it with your obsession with that family? Literally every other person in this school is staring or swooning or muttering about how they wanna get one of them in sack. Leave that poor family alone."

Lauren, the one girl Celeste fantasized about draining on a daily basis, rolls her eyes. "Don't act as if you're not interested. I see you staring too."

She shrugs. "They're aesthetically pleasing, sure, but I don't fantasize about banging one of them like half this school apparently does. They're our peers, not some celebrity that makes it's okay for you to fantasize getting dicked down by." Celeste hears a snort as soon as the words leave her mouth, but it's from nowhere around her table. It's from across the room. Chancing a glance at the Cullen table, she sees Emmett with his head ducked and shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Even Rosalie, the one everyone had dubbed the Ice Queen, seems amused. _Huh. Enhanced hearing?_

"Yeah, but even Angela has a favorite," Jessica muses, causing the dark haired girl in question to blush a deep red and nervously fidget with her glasses. "Surely you have to have an opinion. Come on, Celeste, share with the class."

Sighing, she caves. Celeste knows Jessica won't let this go. "Fine. If I had to choose.. it's be Rosalie." Angela smiles, Jessica gapes, and Lauren's mouth twists into a sneer. "I mean have you seen her shoes? I'd fuck her just for her shoe collection."

Angela and Jessica erupt in a fit of giggles, but it's Lauren who scoffs. "That's disgusting."

"Easy, Mallory," Celeste warns, her smile diminishing and her aura promising violence. She knows the mood has shifted when Angela suddenly shivers and Jessica suddenly seems uncomfortable. "You wouldn't want the entire school to know you're a homophobe, do you? As small as this school is, I'm sure the will rumor will be spread by the end of the next class period."

She squawks in outrage. "I am not-"

"Then fuck off. Jessica asked a question and I answered it. You don't like my answer, then keep your shitty opinion to yourself."

Celeste pushes back in her chair, glaring at the now cowed teenager while gathering up her lunch tray and trash. "I'll see you in Bio, Ang, and you in P.E, Jess." She stalks towards the trash cans, chancing a look at the Cullen table one more time. Every member of the family are staring at her, Alice and Emmett the only ones beaming.

She winks at the smallest at the Cullen table, but when her gaze meets that of Jasper's for the first time.. she stumbles. It feels as if the air has been sucked from her lungs and there's a crushing weight settling on her chest. She knew he was handsome before, but this- it feels different. She's suddenly overwhelmed with attraction towards him and wants nothing more than to go to him, but that's.. it's silly. She doesn't even know him to be this attracted to him and-

_What the hell is going on?!_

Celeste inhales shakily.. and just like that she can breathe again. Jasper's eyes subtly widen before he looks away, but she doesn't miss the small grin that turns up the corner of his mouth.

"Celeste?" She startles, meeting Angela's worried gaze. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Celeste clears her throat, quickly dumping her tray and setting the tray aside. "I just- I got sucked into a Jasper vortex it seems."

Understanding, Angela chuckles as she dumps her tray as well. "That tends to happen quite a lot around here."

"No kidding. Come on. Lets get out of here." And just like that, Celeste puts the weirdly intense staring competition to the back of her mind.

* * *

"She makes me uneasy," Edward admits to his family, glancing at his mate who's smiling serenely at him. "I only hear her thoughts every now and then, and they're- sometimes her thoughts are cruel. She fantasizes about killing our fellow students."

Rosalie shrugs, flipping through a magazine. "Can you blame her? I fantasize about it all the time too."

Esme tuts at her and Carlisle smothers a grin as his other children sheepishly shrug as if agreeing with Rosalie.

Alice suddenly stills and Edward's the first to notice. Speeding to his mate's side, he gently touches her shoulder. "Alice? What do you see?"

The smallest of the Cullen clan is immersed in a vision, a frown pulling down the corners of her lips when she comes out of it. Edward's frown matches hers. "I.. she's an oddity," Alice says. "I'm having a hard time seeing her, but when I do see her she's always with Jasper."

The vampire in question tenses and his family suddenly perks up. "She's doesn't look like us in the visions though," Edward says, grabbing his mate's hand in his own and rubbing his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. "She still looks human, but she and Jasper are really happy together."

"No." Rosalie tosses her magazine on the coffee table, now glaring at her siblings. "We will not jeopardize our family for a human." Jasper snarls, but Rosalie doesn't cower under his intense glare. "We just settled back down in Forks in Esme's favorite house. Do you really want to take this away from her?"

"Rosalie," Esme quietly admonishes, smiling sadly. "Thank you for thinking of me, but this is not your decision to make. If she's to be part of this family because of Jasper, then it's his decision whether or not to approach her." The blonde female crosses her arms over her chest, pouting. "The pull of a mate-"

"Alice didn't say she was his mate," Rosalie quickly cuts in, frowning. "She just said-"

"As if Jasper would risk our family over anything else," Alice muses. Out of the entire Cullen clan, Alice and Jasper were the ones to find them because of Alice's visions of Edward, and ask to be a part of their coven. They were nothing more than good friends and Alice wanted her friend to be happy.

Edward grins at mate's side and Jasper suddenly looks nervous. "If it helps, Rose, you'll come to like her. I see you smiling in Alice's visions too."

Knowing she's not going to win this argument with her family, Rosalie sighs and leans back in her seat. Emmett sinks into the spot next to her, wrapping an arm around his own mate's shoulders and muttering reassurances in her ear.

"Well that seems settled," Carlisle says. He glances between Alice, Jasper, and Edward. "I want all my children to be happy, so if this girl is the one who will make Jasper happy then all I have to say is be careful. Make sure to get a good read on this girl before you tell her anything. Ease her into it."

There are nods and words of agreement, and Esme claps happily. "Ohh. I can't wait to test out the kitchen."

Jasper finally chuckles and Alice beams. She can't wait for her family to be complete and Jasper to finally get his mate.

* * *

From one day to the next, Celeste notices the that Cullen family is suddenly very interested in her. Well, everyone but Rosalie who seems to pretend that Celeste doesn't even exist. Whatever.

But with their newfound interest, Celeste finds she has to be careful.

For the first week with her new fans, Celeste puts up with Alice greeting her in the mornings and at lunch, and the petite girl trying everything in her arsenal to get Celeste to have lunch with her and her family. Edward hangs back, but he is always right there with her and smiling sheepishly as if apologizing for Alice's enthusiasm. Jasper keeps a bit of a distance, but he's still decently friendly when she looks his way and she always has to gulp when her emotions well up. Especially when he smiles at her and all she wants to do is climb into his lap.

Emmett doesn't do much but watch from afar, but he's always ready with a smile when Celeste catches his gaze.

Celeste's own friends are surprised since the Cullen's didn't interact with anyone other than their own family, but it's Lauren who eventually drives Celeste to the Cullen table when she can't keep her jealousy in check.

"Sorry to intrude," Celeste says, walking up to the most avoided table in the cafeteria with her lunch tray in hand. She mentally smirks when the chattering ceases all around. "But if I have to sit with Lauren one more second I will rip her throat out. With my teeth." The Cullen family seem surprised by her words, but Emmett quickly kicks out a chair for her to take- the chair between Alice and Jasper. "Thanks."

Taking her seat, Celeste then smiles at every Cullen and Hale, and ignores the way Edward is intently staring at her. She starts eating her chicken tenders and mashed potatoes, grinning when Rosalie wrinkles her nose in distaste.

"So what are the reclusive Cullen's and Hale's up to today? Make anyone cry, Rosalie?"

Emmett grins and nudges her, and Rosalie shrugs. "Not yet."

"Awesome. And you, Mr. Hale?" Celeste then lightly kicks him under the table. "Your resting bitch face seems like it'd make a person or two cry."

Emmett guffaws and Jasper shifts in his seat. "Excuse me?"

"Don't get me wrong. The look totally works for you," she muses and is pleased when Jasper relaxes. "And your voice, oddly enough. Was that a Southern drawl I detected?"

Jasper can only blink in response when the sudden onslaught of her emotions hits him, making him want to- Edward coughs and Jasper slams a wall down on his mind and emotions.

"Nevermind. Anyway I'm sure you've heard others talk about how intimidating you are. Someone has to have cried before."

Alice giggles and Celeste shoves another chicken tender into her mouth, grinning at the way she's being stared at as if she's an oddity. "So, Celeste, any plans this weekend?"

"Nope. I'm as free as a bird. What'd you have in mind, short stack?"

"Shopping."

"Done. So long as Rosalie tells me where she gets her boots." Celeste gets a far away look in her eye, sighing dreamily. "I really love those boots."

"You love them so much you want to bang her- OW!"

Celeste glances at Emmett mid-sip of her Cola, her eyes narrowing. She tilts her head as if wondering if she heard him right-

"You did."

-and.. wait _. What?_ Celeste's gaze darts to Edward next. She's had her suspicions about this one, but instead of asking outright she starts mentally singing, " _Shot through the heart and you're to blame. Darlin', you give love a bad name_."

Edward's lips twitch. "Bon Jovi?"

Celeste's eyes widen and Rosalie quietly curses her brother. "What happened to easing her into this? Carlisle would not approve, idiot."

But instead of freaking out, Celeste snorts and shakes her head. "Mind reader. I knew it." The Cullen's and Hale's uneasily glance around at each other. "Any other specialties I should know about besides Rosalie's killer sense of fashion?"

Emmett grins. "I'm strong, like abnormally strong."

"And I see the future based on people's decisions. Sometimes. You're actually really hard to see," Alice says.

Everyone glances at Jasper next, Celeste included, but instead of answering her he shows her. Celeste suddenly feels giddy and then sad, but given how her emotions are all ready amplified the sadness she suddenly feels, feels like crushing grief. Her eyes tear up and she chokes down a sob, and then suddenly the weight is gone and she's back to her curious self. "W-What.. was that?"

"I'm sorry," Jasper says. "I didn't mean to push too much on you."

She takes a moment to catch her breath and wipe beneath her eyes, Celeste then shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Not entirely. I-"

The bell rings, which startles Celeste, but before she can say anything else Alice is dragging her up and out of her seat. "Come with me. We need to clean you up in the bathroom. The boys will clear the table."

Celeste follows without putting up a fight, she still trying to get her emotions in check after Jasper apparently manipulated them. Cool power, but major suckage to have it turned on herself.

Rosalie reluctantly follows them into the bathroom and Celeste swats Alice's hands away when when the petite girl wets a paper towel and tries to wipe under her eyes.

"I got it, I got it," Celeste grumbles.

As she's cleaning off her ruined eyeliner and mascara, Rosalie huffs from where she's leaning against a wall. "So that's it? You find out Alice sees the future, Edward can read minds, and Jasper can play with your emotions, and you don't even bat an eye?"

Celeste shrugs. "This isn't my first supernatural rodeo." She pulls forward her backpack, digging through the front pocket for her makeup. "I know witches, and I'm friends with vampires and a few werewolves. I even met a dryad once, who by the way was very beautiful. History books don't do them any justice."

Alice's gaze quickly darts to a now tense Rosalie. "Vampire?"

"Mhm." Celeste is focusing on perfecting her eyeliner that she doesn't see the other two having a silent conversation with their eyes. "So is that what you guys are then?" She asks. "I know there's more than one type of species of vamp, but I've never met the other kinds. You guys, however, are extremely cold. Colder than even myself and you don't eat human food, which is another trait some of the other vamps have."

"Colder than yourself?" Rosalie's eyes narrow. "Why would you compare yourself to-"

The bathroom door opens, cutting Rosalie off, and all three girls hold in their groan at the sight of Lauren. Lauren, however, rolls her eyes and has no problem groaning at the sight of Celeste. Then suddenly getting an idea, Celeste makes up her mind about showing Rosalie and Alice just why she compared herself to them. Alice's gaze suddenly goes distant, but before the gasp can even leave her mouth Celeste is on the move.

Grabbing Lauren by the throat after moving towards at her with inhuman speed, Celeste lightly slams the girl into the sink and bends her backwards over it. She wills her face to change, hissing in Lauren's face and the human girl pales.

Lauren's eyes widen in horror, but before her scream can leave her throat, Celeste speaks. " **Don't scream**."

Lauren's mouth gapes, but no noise comes out.

" **Shut your mouth**." Lauren does.

"What the hell?" Rosalie steps forward, looking in the mirror to see Celeste's reflection- eyes blood red, black veins prominent beneath her eyes, and actual fangs glinting in the school's crappy lighting.

Celeste then meets Rosalie's gaze in the mirror and slowly smirks. "Traditional vampire." Then looking back at Lauren, she says, " **You're going to do whatever business you came in here to do, wash your hands, and then leave. You're also going to be a better friend to Angela and Jessica, and then you're going to forget this little interaction and the monster you thought you saw.** "

"I will forget this interaction and the monster I thought I saw," Lauren repeats back.

"Good girl." Celeste's vampiric features shift back to her more human features. "Go on then." Celeste steps back and Lauren enters one of the stalls without a word. "Shall we go?" She asks, glancing between Alice and Rosalie.

After zipping her backpack back up, Celeste moves to exit the bathroom. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward are standing outside in the empty hallway, but before they can ask what is going on, Rosalie says, "Family meeting. Now."

"Babe?" Emmett frowns. "We still have class."

"Ooh. Skip day," Celeste happily muses. "Last one to parking lot is buying me a burger." And then right before their very eyes, she disappears.

All three boys look to Rosalie and Alice in surprise, and Rosalie rolls her eyes when Edward seems to dig into Alice's mind to see what's going on. "Vampire," she tells Jasper and Emmett. "Just not our kind. She's no threat to us if she's all ready a vampire herself, but I have so many questions." And then before anyone can ask what the hell is going on, Rosalie and Alice disappear.

Emmett glances at his brothers, the other two seeing the challenge in his eyes. After all, loser is apparently buying Celeste food.

Edward makes it outside after his sisters, just inside the treeline beyond the student parking lot, followed by Jasper and then Emmett. Emmett groans about losing, but it's Edward who's the voice of reason and suggest they take the inevitable conversation home so Esme and Carlisle can hear it too. Celeste agrees with a shrug and everyone convenes to their respective vehicle, Alice and Rosalie riding with Celeste so she knows where to go.

The Cullen household is beautiful and Celeste has no problem whistling her appreciation for the glass home. They're met at the door by Mrs. Cullen- _call me Esme, dear_ \- and then wait around for their clan leader Carlisle to get home to start getting answers.

And when Carlisle gets home, hesitantly introducing himself to Celeste since his kids didn't exactly tell him what was going on, he nearly chokes on oxygen when Celeste asks, "So I was right, right? You guys are vampires too?"

Carlisle's eyes widen. "Too?"

"They call us Cold Ones," Edwards says, smirking at Carlisle.

"Ahh. I've read about you guys, but I've never met one of your kind. Cool."

"And you?" Jasper drawls. "You're a.. traditional vampire?"

"Sure am." Celeste flashes her vampiric face for everyone to see and laughs at the expressions of awe. "Some say my kind look demonic, but to each their own I guess."

Jasper is suddenly in her space and something in Celeste warms as she watches him slowly lower himself into a crouch in front of her. His gaze darts all over her face and she surprisingly leans into his hand when he reaches up so his fingers trace the side of her jaw. "Beautiful."

Edward's nose wrinkles. "Can you not.. think that," he mutters at Celeste. "I'd rather not hear what you want to do to Jasper right now."

"Then stay out of my head, Cullen, and tell your brother to stop smoldering at me. It's distracting." Alice giggles and even Rosalie now seems amused. Blinking and breaking eye contact, Celeste clears her throat and leans back. "Woo. That was.. intense." Jasper takes a seat next to her and she shifts nervously when they sit thigh to thigh, only to exhale softly when she feels comfort and adoration wash over her. "Oohhh. That's the good stuff," she muses.

The Cullen's all watch the duo on the couch, smiling at seeing one of their own finally look so content.

"So how exactly old are you?" Emmett asks.

"Old."

"Yeah, but how old?"

"Emmett," Esme scolds.

"It's fine, Mrs. Cullen," Celeste says. Then looking at Emmett, she tells him, "I was turned in the early 1400's."

"Holy shit. You're older than Carlisle."

Celeste snorts and shrugs at everyone's awed expression.

"How did you-" Rosalie starts, but then snaps her mouth shut.

"Turn?" She guesses. Rosalie gives her a terse nod. Sighing softly, Celeste recalls her turning. "I remember turning eighteen and not knowing that people like us existed," she tells them. "This.. woman befriended my family. She got close enough for my Father to approve of unchaperoned outings, and one night she led me deep into the woods and into a run down shack."

Jasper takes Celeste's hand in his own, squeezing softly. "You don't have to tell us if it makes you uncomfortable."

Feeling her heart flutter, Celeste squeezes his hand back. "It's okay. She told me- she said that _He_ couldn't have me. That if he found me still human, he'd kill me to break some curse that neither vampire or werewolf wanted broken. But she- she didn't want to _kill me_ , kill me either. She wanted me to live so when he did eventually find me, I'd be a vampire and my blood would be of no use to him."

Carlisle frowns. "So she turned you."

"She did," Celeste nods. "She forced her blood down my throat, snapped my neck, and then left me to fend for myself. When I woke, I didn't know what was happening. I was alone, cold, terrified, and I had this odd hunger that nothing would sate. Then when I was taken back home by some of my Father's men who'd been searching for me, my Father's misplaced anger at me made me snap and.. I drained half the town."

Esme gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth. Everyone else is listening with rapt attention.

"By the time I snapped out of the blood lust and realized what I'd done, I cried for days. I couldn't go out into the sun and I couldn't walk into a home without being invited into it first."

"But you walked in here just fine," Rosalie says.

"The name on the deed of the house has to be that of a living human. If a vampire owns the home, I can enter freely." Understanding dawns on them. "Anyway, when the sun went down I buried those I could and then fled the only home I ever knew. For years I lived like a savage- hiding in caves or burying myself in the ground when I could find no shelter to hunker down in when the sun was out."

"But you're so- excuse my wording-" Carlisle muses, "but you're so domesticated now. Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"Not at all. The man that woman was trying to save me from, he found me. He was obviously upset I was no longer human, but he took pity on me and showed me how to be a proper vampire."

"Why was he so interested in your blood?" Rosalie asks.

Celeste's mind immediately conjures up the answer and Edward's eyes widen. "A vampire-werewolf hybrid? The First of his kind?"

She chuckles softly. "Yes. He was the first and only of his kind. He was born a werewolf, but his wolf gene hadn't been triggered since it's only triggered once the person makes his or her first kill, either on accident or on purpose. So when his Mother eventually cast the Immortality spell on their family, Nature took it's course and made them into the First Vampires- the Originals. And when he first fed as a vampire and killed his first victim-"

"He triggered the wolf gene," Jasper finishes.

"Bingo. His Mother and Father bound his werewolf side, and one of the steps to breaking his binds was the blood of a human doppelgänger to the woman whose blood his mother used to make them into vampires in the first place."

Emmett gapes. "What even is your life?"

Celeste laughs, breaking the tension in the room. "I actually still talk to him to this day," she admits. "He finally broke his curse a few years back, but it was.. it was troublesome for him. The human girl could have passed as my identical twin, so he found it difficult to kill the girl who looked like the girl he raised as his daughter."

"How did-"

"Witches," Rosalie says, cutting off Alice. "You mentioned witches before at school."

"Yep. Well technically it was the girl's father who found the solution. He used a spell that would give his life to his daughter should her heart stop beating. And it did."

"This is.. a lot to take in," Carlisle says.

"Try living through it."

A moment passes in complete silence as everyone takes in what's been said, and Celeste smiles at Jasper when she sees him staring at her.

"So what other differences are there?" Emmett asks. "Please tell me something cool to uplift the mood in this room." Rosalie slaps him upside the head and Celeste laughs.

Glancing around the room, she sees the sun finally breaking through the clouds. "Well you know how you guys sparkle in the sun?" She gets up, walking over to a portion of the wall where it's solid wood and holds her arm out in front of the glass. The sun hits her. "I can walk in it without anyone suspecting anything off about me."

"Well that's unfair," Emmett grumbles.

"But take off a certain piece of jewelry and.." Celeste pulls her arm back into the shade, slipping off her ring and then hesitantly holding her arm back towards the sunlight. "And poof. I go up in flames."

Her arm smolders and then bursts into flames, and Jasper is immediately by her side and pulling her out of the direct sunlight. He snarls and Celeste's heart skips a beat when she feels a wave of terror and anger wash over her. "Never.. do that.. again."

Celeste's eyes are wide and when Jasper finally reigns himself in, he frowns and disappears. She quickly puts her ring back on, she then startling when Carlisle appears at her side to study her now healing arm. "Fascinating."

"You think that's fascinating, then you should see what my blood does," she distractedly tells him. "Traditional vampire blood heals human wounds." Carlisle seems surprised at that admission, as does Edward, but Celeste only has eyes for the stairs that Jasper took to flee the room.

"Go." Celeste glances at Esme who's smiling kindly at her. "If you've read about us, I'm sure you can piece together why he's so upset about the girl he's just met hurting. Or why you feel an odd pull towards the boy you're not entirely familiar with yet."

Her forehead creases as she tries to piece together what Esme is saying and then like a light bulb flickering on, she knows. She knows.. and surprisingly she's not upset.

Edward then slowly smiles at her as he picks up on her thoughts, he gesturing to the stairs. "His room is the last door on the left."

"Thank you."

Celeste doesn't bother hiding her own speed as she disappears up the stairs and finds Jasper's room with ease. He's seated by his desk, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. Celeste knows that he knows she's there, but since he doesn't acknowledge her presence she takes a moment to look around his room. The two side walls and the ceiling are painted dark gray, and the wall opposite the bedroom door is made up of glass which gives off the most magnificent view of the woods outside. And as Celeste steps in to turn around, the wall where the door is, is painted dark gray as well. There's a small couch next to his desk against the left wall and the right wall has a built in bookshelf with every inch of that shelf filled with various books.

Sighing softly, Celeste eyes the queen sized bed which appears as if it hasn't been laid in for quite some time and steps up to it. Then kicking off her boots, she grabs the pillows from where they're stacked against the window and tosses them towards the end of the bed so when she lays down she'll be facing the woods.

"Come lay with me."

A moment passes in silence and Celeste exhales in relief when the bed dips beside her as Jasper hesitantly scoots in. He's stiff, even as his head hits the pillow, and Celeste sits up to maneuver Jasper where she wants him. So when she lays back down, his right arm is beneath her and her head is on his shoulder. She drapes her own right arm over his chest and hooks her knee over his thigh.

Jasper's chest rumbles. "Comfortable, darlin'?"

"Oohh. Say that again." This time he chuckles and Celeste snuggles deeper into his side. "And yes I am. Comfortable that is." She and Jasper fall quiet, the only sound being that of the rest of his family quietly conversing downstairs. "So I'm sorry if I upset you earlier by letting myself catch fire. I didn't know about the mate thing."

Jasper tenses. "You know about that?"

"Mhm."

"And you're not.. upset?"

"Are you joking?" Celeste scoffs. "The way I see it, the both of us hit the mate jackpot. You're hot as sin and I look really good naked. It's a win-win."

The new couple can hear the others laughing downstairs which only furthers Jasper to relax. "All in then?"

"So in," she breathes airily. Celeste's hand trails up Jasper's chest until her fingers trace his jaw, she then pushing up on her other arm so she's hovering above him. Then tilting his face towards her, she grins. "So fuckin' in." And then seals their fate with a kiss.

* * *

Days turn into weeks and weeks into months. Celeste fits in quite easily with the Cullen family and it leaves nearly the entire student population envious of her position. She still makes time for Angela, Jessica, and Tyler, but a majority of her time is spent by Jasper's side much to the displeasure of nearly every female at Forks High.

No one had told her just how the whole mate thing worked, so more often than not she found herself overwhelmed with lust and attraction, which led her to telling them about how her own emotions are all ready amplified. And speaking of the amplification of her emotions, she also told them that there was a chance her emotions could completely turn off if some life altering event happened to her. Needless to say, Jasper vowed to take complete care of her and never allow that to happen.

Of course talk about her diet came up. They were surprised she could actually hold down human food and were quite uncomfortable to learn she drank human blood. Rosalie and Emmett were a bit envious she got to enjoy what their species naturally craved, but after explaining she drank from blood bags they settled down (they'd choose the hot blood of an animal over microwaved blood any day). Carlisle had then wanted to know where she got the blood bags from and Celeste only felt an ounce of guilt when she told him she compelled doctors from various hospitals miles away to fill an ice chest for her when she ran out.

Then the day came when one Bella Swan arrived. Alice saw her coming and even saw how curious the girl would become, but her family would not be ran out of Forks just because one measly human couldn't keep her nose out of their business.

They made sure to make it obvious right away that Emmett was with Rosalie, Edward with Alice, and Jasper with Celeste. And on the days that Celeste sat with Jessica and Angela, the newest of the Cullen clan took great pleasure in gushing about just how adorable Edward and Alice were together and how nothing or no one would ever come between them. It was obvious she made Bella uncomfortable, but the girl needed to take the hint to leave her new family alone sooner rather than later.

"We should go see our cousins in Alaska," Alice says one day after Edward had to endure being partnered with Bella for a class project and realized the human was his singer- a person whose blood tempted him more than any others. "We'll steal something saturated with her scent so you can adjust to it and we'll take a long weekend."

Emmett grimaces, he having run across his own singer once upon a time and drained them dry. "It'll be tough, but you have the best control out of all of us. I second Alice's idea."

Rosalie agrees with her mate and Edward sighs. "If that's my only choice, then yes. We'll take a long weekend up in Alaska."

"Well aren't you a lucky bunch," Celeste muses from her position on Jasper's lap.

"You can always come with us, darlin'."

"Mmm. As much as I want to meet the rest of your family, I rather wait until our student holidays start. No one would question you and your family taking a few days to go camping or for a family emergency, but I'm not a Cullen. If I disappear with you all, it'd be seen as weird."

"Oh now you care about what they think?" Rosalie grins.

"Not really. But as we've already figured out I can't compel Bella, you know she's going to be the one to question where Edward is after he reacted so harshly to her near presence. If I'm at school, I can control the gossip and glare at Bella until she drops it."

"If you're stayin', then I'm stayin'. The Denali coven won't miss me."

No one bothers to hide their smiles at Jasper's statement or the possessive hand that suddenly grips her thigh, and Celeste chuckles in response. "As if I'd argue against you."

Alice, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett are the only ones to run up to Alaska while Jasper remains at school with Celeste. She had been right that Bella was going to be curious about Edward's whereabouts and his family, but once the rest of the lunch table got the hint that Celeste was not going to tolerate her twenty questions, Bella let it go.

Esme and Carlisle had remained behind as well, and though the younger mated couple could always go to Celeste's house for privacy, Celeste decided she wanted to spend a night under the stars with her mate. Jasper agreed and Esme excitedly packed a picnic basket of snacks for Celeste to last her through the night.

The weather had ended up cooperating with them, but Celeste still put the large tent up in case the drizzling rain surprised them. And while Celeste put up their tent, Jasper got the fire going and rolled out several large blankets one on top of the other to offer some cushioning on the ground.

The couple leaned against one another with only the sounds of nature surrounding them until Jasper asked more about Celeste's life with the man who had hunted her down in hopes of draining her for a ritual.

"He's not that bad," she laughs, popping a marshmallow into her mouth. "I mean he was back then, but he mellowed out after his daughter was born."

Jasper's own chuckle slowly diminishes. "A daughter? Like you or-"

"Biological," she says, surprising him once more. "Don't ask me how. All I know is that some magic was involved with one of his werewolf one night stands in order to have some leverage against him, but Hope is- Hope is his actual biological daughter."

"That's.. wow."

"I know. You should meet her. She's.. something." Celeste smiles as she remembers the girl who looked up to her as an older sibling. "She's a tribrid- a witch, vampire, and werewolf all rolled up in one tiny package- and she's powerful. She's actually attending some school in Mystic Falls now for supernatural children."

"Really?" Jasper wonders. "They got a school like that?"

"Yeah. It sounds crazy, but it's an actual school for vampires, werewolves, and witches to teach them how to properly be what they are."

"Your world is just full of surprises."

"Our world." With her marshmallow free hand, Celeste reaches for Jasper's hand and tangles their fingers together. "It's our world now."

Jasper smirks. "Of course. How could I forget?" He raises their joined hands and kisses hers, which causes Celeste to giggle.

But before the couple can settle back down, a low growl has them tensing. Branches snap and leaves crunch, and slowly the couple separates until they're standing and glancing around.

Suddenly a wolf steps out of the shadows, lips curled and teeth bared in a low snarl.

"That's odd," Jasper muses, completely at ease. "Animals usually tend to stay away from us, not approach."

Celeste glances up to the sky, noticing the full moon. Quietly cursing her luck, she starts to crouch. "That's because this is no ordinary wolf." A hiss escapes her throat.

"What are you doing?" But Jasper doesn't need an answer as the wolf opposite them barks, it's eyes glowing yellow.

"It's a werewolf."

The wolf suddenly launches itself at Celeste, the creature moving far faster than Jasper thought capable. Werewolf and vampire collide, the two of them rolling on the ground and scrambling for the upper hand. A phone's shrill ring pierces the air, but Celeste's shout and hisses of anger draws Jasper's attention back to his mate and he's shocked to see the wolf pinning her to the ground. Shock quickly turns to rage, however, and with a swift kick to the werewolf's side Jasper sends the creature flying. He'd heard the snap of bones, but he doesn't care. All he cares about is his mate who's wincing as if in pain.

He rushes to Celeste's side, pulling her to her feet and gaze zeroing in on the weeping wound on her shoulder. He's about to step back and hold his breath, but he's relieved to realize her blood does not call to him as a human normally does. "You need blood," he says, gently pulling the neck of her shirt to the side. "You're not healing."

"I know." Jasper feels her emotions waver- anger and pain radiating from her. When she glances up at him, he finds tears in her eyes and a sad smile gracing her lips. "A werewolf bite is lethal to my kind. It won't heal."

Her words slowly sink in and then his eyes widen in horror. "What? No. That-" Celeste's phone ringing cuts him off, but the couple tune it out.

"I'm sorry. I just need-"

"No." Jasper shakes his head in denial. "No," he says again, moving so fast that Celeste suddenly finds herself cradled in his arms. "We just need to get you to Carlisle."

On the run back to the Cullen household, Jasper ignores the annoyance radiating off his mate. Esme and Carlisle are all ready waiting for them, the coven leader explaining that Alice had called them and grew worried when Celeste wasn't answering her phone. The little seer had apparently had a vision of her brother and Celeste leaving for their camping trip, only for Celeste to suddenly vanish from her Sight. Edward had insisted she'd call and check up on them, but no one had answered their phone until she called Carlisle.

Now having Carlisle checking her wound, Celeste grimaces when the shirt clings to the sticky blood. "There has to be something," he murmurs.

"There is." Three sets of golden eyes snap to her face. Rolling her eyes, Celeste says, "As I was trying to tell Jasper before he whisked me away, there is a cure. But only Niklaus can help me."

"The hybrid?" Carlisle frowns. "Why only him?"

"It's.. complicated. Can you just- can I please have a phone? I need to get him here as soon as possible. I wasn't lying when I said the bite is lethal and I'll only get worse the longer I go without the cure." Esme disappears and then reappears, a cell phone in hand. Celeste smiles her thanks and quickly dials one of the few numbers she has memorized. Then putting the phone on speaker since Jasper was clinging to her uninjured arm, she sets the phone down as it rings and rings.

Finally, someone picks up. " _Speak_."

She mockingly gasps. "Rude!"

" _Celeste_ ," a British voice rumbles, amused. " _How is Washington treating you, sweetheart?_ "

Chuckling and then coughing, she answers, "That's actually what I'm calling about. I need you."

A beat of silence passes and the voice turns hard. " _What happened?_ "

"A werewolf happened."

" _I'll kill him. Or her_."

"Settle down, Nik," she muses. "Jasper all ready killed it, but not before it took a bite out of my shoulder."

" _..Jasper?_ "

She sighs. "Boyfriend. Mate, actually. He's a Cold One." Celeste grins as Jasper suddenly fidgets. "But I'll fill you in later. I really need you here as soon as possible."

" _The jet's being prepped as we speak_ ," he says. " _Now let me speak to that mate of yours_."

"You're on speaker," she says. "The coven leader Carlisle and his mate Esme are in the room as well. Play nice."

A growl resonates through the speaker and Celeste rolls her eyes. " _Who am I speaking with?_ "

Jasper's spine straightens and his back stiffens. "Jasper Whitlock, sir."

" _The only reason I am not threatening to rip you limb from limb, Jasper Whitlock, is because she called you her mate. Is it true?_ "

"Yes, sir."

A sigh comes next. " _Very well. Celeste needs to be comfortable now_ ," he says. " _The aches and pains are only going to worsen, and the hallucinations won't be far off. She'll need blood to stave off the hunger and she'll be confused. You must be ready for anything, mate or no mate_."

"I understand."

" _I'll be there as soon as I can_."

The call disconnects and Jasper hands the phone back to Esme. Smiling sheepishly, Celeste says, "So that was Niklaus. I swear he was only that intense because my safety is at stake here."

"Was he telling the truth?" Esme asks, moving into Carlisle's side and tucking herself under his arm. "Is your health really going to get that bad?"

"Yes." A wave of grief washes over them and Celeste immediately reaches for Jasper. "Hey. Hey, don't feel like that. Nik will get here and feed me the cure, and it'll be okay. I'll heal quickly after."

"New Orleans is far away, darlin'. He'll be cuttin' it real close."

"Then you're just going to have to hold it together, soldier. It's going to get ugly, but only for a bit. I need you to stay strong."

Jasper's eyes dart over every feature of Celeste's face, looking for any hint of doubt. When he finds none, he gives her a terse nod.

"Jasper, get a hold of everyone else and tell them to stay put. Celeste will be needing blood and I rather not tempt their thirst. If you can't handle it, I'd rather you go somewhere else while Esme and I tend to Celeste."

"I'm stayin'." Jasper's tone is final and he presses a chaste kiss to Celeste's forehead before leaving to make the call.

Esme then helps Celeste to one of the bathrooms, helping her clean up and dress the wound on Celeste's shoulder. Afterwards she's settled in Jasper's bed and the three Cold Ones linger around, Carlisle the only one leaving to grab a few blood bags from Celeste's home.

As the hours slowly tick by, the three Cold Ones don't bother hiding their fear when the sweats and shakes start. Celeste tries to assure them that it's normal, but hearing and seeing a vampire look so sickly is not normal to them.

Carlisle then warms up some blood before serving it up to Celeste in a styrofoam cup when she complains about being thirsty, and Carlisle and Esme watch with pride in their eyes as the scent doesn't faze Jasper at all.

Celeste progressively gets worse, and when the hallucinations start only Jasper remains in the room with her after the first incident. The three of them had been watching with heartache and worry as Celeste whimpered and called for her mother, she then speeding out of bed when Esme tried shushing her and pinning her to the wall. Fangs dropped and face contorted in rage, Celeste had snarled about it being all her fault she was like this in the first place- that if she had only let her live her life out as a human she wouldn't be in this predicament right now. Jasper and Carlisle, who'd both been too shocked to move, had quickly realized that Celeste thought Esme was the woman who had turned her so long ago. But then Celeste's mind had cleared and she backed off with a sob, tears streaming down her face as she apologized over and over to Esme.

Now laying in bed side by side with her mate, Celeste practically floats in a pool of grief, anger, sadness, and pain. Jasper can't quite keep a lid on his emotions, which means he can't help her, and Celeste is getting the brunt of his failure as a mate.

" **Don't die on me. Please**."

Celeste smiles weakly, angling her face so she's staring at him. "You kidding me? You're stuck with me for all eternity, handsome." She tries to laugh, but it only comes out as a cough.

Jasper grimaces. "Rest. Niklaus should be here soon."

Soon turns out being half an hour later. Celeste's breathing was raspy now and she could hardly keep her eyes open. She was unusually pale and sweating buckets, and Jasper was on edge. Any little noise sent him into a snarling rage, Carlisle then opening the door very carefully when Niklaus finally arrived.

Jasper growls at the newest additions to the room, both vampire and hybrid treading carefully at the onyx eyes glaring at them. Niklaus visibly falters at the wall of grief he walks into, but quickly shakes it off.

"Jasper," Carlisle calls out softly. "This is Niklaus Mikaelson. He's here to help Celeste. You need to go hunt if you want to keep a level head."

Niklaus steps closer to the bed, but Jasper growls at him. Eyes glowing gold, Niklaus growls back. "I am not your enemy. If you do not let me feed Celeste the cure, then she will die."

Taking a moment to get himself under control, Jasper asks, "Why can't I give it to her?"

"Because the cure runs through my veins."

From the doorway, Esme gasps and Niklaus smirks. "Now I'm going to come closer. Do not test me." Jasper eventually gives him a terse nod in response, he moving off the bed as the hybrid got closer. "Good." Then settling on the bed himself, Niklaus scoops up Celeste's limp body to cradle in his arms. "There, there, darling," he coos. "You'll feel better soon."

"..Nik?"

"I'm here."

The Cold Ones watch on in fascination as the hybrid raises his wrist to his mouth and bites down, he then placing his bleeding wrist to Celeste's mouth. It takes her a few seconds before she can latch on, her eyes bleeding red and the black veins slithering to the surface beneath her eyes the longer she drinks. A minute passes and then Niklaus pulls his wrist away.

He stands, nodding to the family. "She's going to be fine."

Jasper is immediately back on his bed, carefully maneuvering Celeste and checking her wound. Right before his eyes, the wound slowly closes and the most beautiful smile Niklaus has ever seen graces the Cold One's features. As one, Carlisle, Esme, and Niklaus seems to sag in relief as the atmosphere in the room completely shifts to one of a joyous feeling.

When Carlisle catches Niklaus' curious gaze, he says, "Jasper is an empath. My first child is a mind reader and another daughter of mine has visions of the future."

Nik hums in understanding.

Carlisle and Esme then take a moment to introduce themselves to Niklaus- _please, call me Klaus_ \- as Celeste slowly gets her strength back. A cup of blood is eventually pressed into her hand and Celeste quickly guzzles it down before speeding off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Jasper chuckles, his amusement faltering when he meets Klaus' gaze. "She does that after every time she eats."

"Why?"

"We're.. vegetarians," he tells him. "We only drink animal blood."

Klaus' lips purse before he shrugs. "So that's why the golden eyes and not red."

"Exactly."

Celeste reappears, tackling Jasper onto his bed and straddling his waist. Esme's tinkling laugh makes Klaus crack a smile, but then he's sighing in exasperation when Celeste slants her mouth across her mate's.

"Really, Celeste? Where are your manners, sweetheart. Do not ravage your mate when there's an audience."

Celeste perks up, looking over her shoulder and Jasper laughs from beneath her. She launches herself at Klaus then, giving Jasper a chance to sit up and watch as she comes alive before his very eyes. And after their brief reunion is over, Carlisle escorts Klaus downstairs while Jasper and Celeste have a moment to themselves.

Standing chest to chest, Jasper carefully cradles Celeste's face in his hands as he stares down at her. "Never scare me like that again."

"I'll do my best. Werewolf venom is a pain in the ass and I'd like to not experience that ever again."

He grins weakly, letting his forehead rests against hers. "You're gonna be the death of me."

"Probably." Celeste huffs a laugh, quickly pecking his lips after. "But not for a long while. I got plans for you, Whitlock. Plans that I intend to repeat over and over and over.."

As she speaks, the veins beneath her eyes slither to the surface and her eyes turn red. Jasper smirks. "I'm lookin' forward to 'em, darlin'."


End file.
